Weighing-machine.



A. SMITH & 0. SOUTHALL. WBIGHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11,1912.

Patented Apr. 15, 1913.

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A. SMITH & O. SOUTHALL.

WEIGHING MACHINE. APPLIGATION IlLBD my 11, 1912.

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A. SMITH & G. SOUTHALL.

WEIGHING MACHINE.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1912. 1,059,226.

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ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 15, 1913.

ARTHUR SMITH AND CHRISTOPHER SOUTHALL, 0F BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

WEIGHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15,1913.

Application filed May 11, 1912. Serial No. 696,732.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ARTHUR SMITH andCHRISTOPHER SOUTHALL, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing atVilla Street WVorks, in the city of Birmingham,

maize, seeds and other granular, pulverulent, powdered and likematerials, the object of the invention being to provide improvedmechanical means for controlling the operations of the sluices, valves,cut-offs or the like.

Referring to the three accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings:-Figure 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a plan and Fig. 3 an end view ofa weighing machine having this invention applied thereto. Figs. 4 and 5are detail views respectively showing one of the catch and tripmechanisms in the inoperative and operative positions.

The same reference letters in the difierent views indicate the same orsimilar'parts.

In carrying the invention into effect, the various sluices, valves orcut-ofi's a, b and c are operated from sliding bars (Z, e and f mountedin guides g on the upper side of the machine. The cut-offs a and boscillate about the pivots 71., whereas the cut-off c operates with arectilinear motion. The cutoffs are arranged to control an aperture 28(Fig. 2) through which the material to be weighed passes from the hopper11 to the weigh pan y'. The arrangement of the cutoffs which is a wellknown one and forms no part of this invention, will be identified by thefollowing description :-The cut-offs a and I) cover a single aperture ora pair of apertures when they lie close together side by side as shownin Fig. 2, excepting a small opening which is formed by gaps in theadjacent edges of the cut-ofls themselves, this opening being closed bythe third cut-ofi c. When all the cut-ofis are moved to the inoperativeposition, a full out-flow is permitted from the hopper. On closing oneof the cutoffs, the outlet aperture is reduced and a further reductionoccurs when the second cut-ofl is closed. The remaining aperture is thatthrough the two before-mentioned cutoffs and this is closed by the thirdcut-off 0.

Each cut-off operating bar has pivoted adjacent to it a catch piece iscontrolled by a spring Z which causes the catch to engage the bar, andco-axially with the catch piece is pivoted a hammer-like trip m which issecured in the elevated or inoperative position by a catch a comprisinga hinged steel blade adapted to engage the trip under the action of aspring 0 as shown in Fig. 5. In conjunction with such catch is mounted alifting rod p which is operated from the weigh beam q as hereinafterdescribed. When the weigh beam is moved sufficiently, under the actionof the material falling into the weigh pan, the lifting rod raises thecatch n and releases the trip piece, thereby allowing the latter to fallon to the catch is. By disengaging the said catch is the slide andcut-ofi' are permitted to be closed under the action of a spring 1'. Asimilar arrangement is employed with each sluice. Return of the trips tothe initial position after each com lete cycle of operations of themachine is e ected by levers s secured to the shaft t on which the tripsand hammers are loosely mounted, the said levers being operated throughanother lever u on the shaft from a common bar '0 which is actuated fromany convenient part of the machine. In the form shownin the drawings thebar has the required motion imparted to it from levers w and so actuatedby a projection 3 on a rotating disk 2, the connection between the leverw and the bar 4) being effected by a pin 2 which enters a slot in thebar as illustrated in Fig. l. The same pin by its abutment against thedownwardly turned ends of the bars d, e and f imparts a longitudinalmotion to such bars and causes the sluices to be opened. Return of thelevers s after the trips have been raised and the levers w and mwithdrawn to the original position is effected by a spring 3.

For liberating the hinged door 4 at the underside of the weigh pan 2',when the required mass of material has been introduced into the pan thefollowing mechanism is employed: Referring to Fig. l the door 4 is heldin the closed position by a catch is. Adjacent to the catch is pi voteda hammer trip at and the latter is actuated for liberating the catchfrom the door by a lever 5 and projection 6 on the part 7 connecting thebar 7 and sluice 0. When the sluice c closes the projection strikes thele ver 5 and thereby imparts the required mo- .tion' to the trip at fordisengaging the catch. The'catch reengages the door under the action ofa spring 8 when the door is returned to its closed position by a weight9 after the material has been discharged from the pan.

Actuation of the rods 7 from the weigh beam 9 is effected as follows:Adjacent to the end of the weigh beam remote fro-1n the pan are pivoteda pair of auxiliary counterweighted beams 10 and 11 each of which isadapted to lift the particular rod 7) arranged with it. The said beamsare also adapted to act through projections 12 on the main beam 9 andthereby counteract or neutralize to a slight extent the principal weight13 placed'on the weigh pan 14 of the machine. The main beam g has also arod 79 directly connected to it. When the mass of material deliveredinto the weigh pan approaches the proper weight the end of the weighbeam carrying the pan drops slightly and in consequence the other endrises, thereby permitting the end of one of the auxiliary beams (say 10)to rise and lift the rod p associated with it. The catch controlled bythis rod is thus released and the corresponding cut-oil permitted toclose under the action of its spring. The auxiliary beam in thisoperation reaches the limit of its movement and has no further effectupon the main beam. After a little more material has been fed into theweigh pan a further movement of the beam occurs and a like operation isperformed by the other auxiliary beam (11) and its rod 10 and catch k,with the result that another cut-off is closed. The weigh beam is nowacted upon entirely by the weight in the weigh pan and when the fullweight of material has been fed into the pan the beam again moves and bylift-- ing the third rod 79 secured to it causes the last cut-off to beclosed, thereby completely intercepting the flow of material from thehopper to the pan. Then the weighed material has been discharged fromthe pan the beam returns to its initial position under the action of theweight on its weigh pan, and the auxiliary beams and rods are likewiserestored to the initial positions in readiness for repetition of thecycle of operations.

The machine is actuated automatically by a belt from a driving shaft 15,belt 16 and pulley 17 acting through gear wheels 18 and 19 on a clutch20. Such clutch receives its motion from the wheel 19 through a pawl 21which can be put out of action by a sliding bar 22. When the cut-offshave all been opened by the action of the projections g on the levers wand m, a projection 23 on the cut-off c operates on a projection 24 of alever 25 and causes the sliding bar 22 through the bar 26 to disengagethe pawl 21 from the projections 27 on the wheel 19, so-that no furtherrotation of the disk 2 can occur. But when the cut-off c closes the part7 on the said cut-01f strikes the projection 24 on the lever 25 andcauses the bar 22 to liberate the pawl 21, whereupon the clutch 20 isonce more connected to the wheel 19 and the cut-ofi's are again openedfor the delivery of another quantity of material from the hopper to theweigh pan.

The automatic driving mechanism above described and the auxiliary beamsacting on the weigh beam form no part of this invention, but areincluded in this description to make clear the action of the novel partsof the machine.

The invention is not limited to the type of machines herein described asit may be applied to other machines of a like nature in which the flowof material into the hopper is controlled by cut-offs or theirequivalent.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In weighing machines for weighing tea,cofiee, cocoa, flour, wheat, maize, seeds and other granular,pulverulent, powdered and similar materials, the combination with acut-off and weigh beam, of a catch adapted to retain the cut-off in theopen position, a hinged hammer;like trip for disengaging the catch fromthe cut-off, retaining means whereby the trip is held in the inoperativeposition, releasing meansactuated with the movement of the beam forliberating the trip, and an automatic trip raising device, substantiallyas described.

2. In weighing machines for weighing tea, coii'ee, cocoa, flour, wheat,.maize, seeds and other granular, pulverulent, powdered and similarmaterials, the combination with a cut-ofi and weigh beam, of a catchadapted to retain the cut-off in the open position, a hingedhammer-liketrip for disengaging the catch from the cut-oil, retainingmeans whereby the trip is held in the inoperative position, an auxiliarybeam in conjunction with the main beam, and releasing means actuatedwith the movement of the said auxiliary beam for liberating the trip,substantially as described.

3. In weighing machines .for weighing tea, coffee, cocoa, flour, wheat,maize, seeds and other granular, pulverulent, powdered and similarmaterials,'the combination with a cut-off and weigh beam, of acatchadapted to retain the cut-off in the open position, a hingedhammer-like trip for disengaging the catch from the cut-off, a hingedcatch whereby the trip is held in the inoperative position, and a pushrod actuated with the movement of the beam for releasing the tripretaining catch, substantially as described.

41-. In weighing machines for weighing tea, coffee, cocoa, flour, wheat,maize, seeds and other granular, pulverulent, powdered and othergranular, pulverulent, powdered and similar materials, the combinationwith a cut-off and weigh beam, of a catch adapted to retain the cut-offin the open position, a hinged hammer-like trip for disengaging thecatch from the cut-0E, a hinged catch whereby the trip is held in theinoperative position, a push rod actuated with the movement of the beamfor releasing the trip retaining catch, a trip raising lever, cut-oilopening means, a bar connecting said means to the trip raising lever,and springs in conjunction with the trip retaining catch and the tripraising lever, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR SMITH. CHRISTOPHER SOUTHALL.

Witnesses:

JOHN MORGAN, FRANCIS MALPAS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

